The idle ramblings of a devoted space and science fiction nut who also happens to write.

Monday, June 04, 2007

A ride on the Washington State Ferry

One of the best kept secrets of Washington State has been its ferry systems. Going between points that are too far to drive or that cant be reached by any method other than boat or plane, the ferry is one of the best ways to get there.

Of course, there is the perverbial get in line and wait bit going on with it. I got in line going against the morning traffic and was on in about 15-20 minutes. It is then an hour to Bremerton. But the ferry ride cuts off about a half tank of gas in my truck and I can go all the way from Seattle to Shelton and back on a quarter tank of gas.

I decided that since I had my laptop with me that I would sign up for the Wi-Fi access on the ferry. While everything seemed ok at first, once I got about a quarter of the way into the trip, the access died. Iam not sure that this is normal but the cost also will be a thing that will deter people from using it.

Unless you are a daily traveler who has to be in contact at all times, I would not recommend this.

Once the connection died, I used my trusty bluetooth connection on my cell phone which got me through the rest of the trip. I am sure that while most people will not need this level of connection during the ferry ride, it was nice to know that it is there.

But the one thing that makes it all worth while is the view of the Olympic Mountains as you get closer to Bremerton. The view is breathtaking on a clear day and definately worth the trip.